After some speculation, Sony confirmed today that the PlayStation 3 will come standard with a 60GB hard drive.

The inclusion of the hard drive was brought into question last week after some confusing statements by Ken Kutaragi at Sony’s publisher meet in Tokyo last week. Kutaragi told developers at the meeting to develop games with the hard drive in mind, but did not state whether it would be included with the system or not.

The hard drive will be capable of saving game data, downloading media and shortening load times. Additionally, Sony said that the unit will enhance gameplay and allow free online gaming.
Sony is scheduled to release the PS3 to the U.S., Japan, and Europe in November.
Further details about the PS3 and the included hard drive are expected to be revealed this Wednesday at the Game Developer?s Conference in San Jose, California.

[i] Keith C. Smith[/i]